I had a flash of inspiration this morning which forced me out of bed and to the computer where I routinely fire up my browser and head on over to netsol.com (Network Solutions) to perform a quick test.  I like their interface and figured that since they are the second largest domain registrar (After GoDaddy), my domain searches would be safe.  Just as I was about ready to hit enter to perform my search, I noticed a new section on the page.

Fascinated by the need for protective measures for my search through their interface, I decided to check this out.  It turns out that as of this past December (2007), Network Solutions implemented a new policy whereby each domain searched through their online domain lookup tool is purchased immediately.

Now, if you're still a Network Solutions customer this may not be a problem for you.  However, there are many who have found Network Solutions to be overpriced and have switched to other registrars who offer more value for almost one fourth of the price.  Those in this camp will be surprised to find that they are unable to purchase a domain with another registrar after performing a quick lookup using the intuitive NetSol domain lookup tool.  This process of front running will most likely create an even greater loss of business for Network Solutions, and it's dangerous, especially for anyone using their search, even if you're still a Network Solutions customer.

NetSol is touting this as a protective measure, but it's opened up a can of worms for the company.  As I did research this morning, I found that the fears I've had for years that my domain searches were available for others to see were closer to the mark than I realized.  Every time you perform a domain search, almost of any kind, your domain name is available for a variety of people to see.  In fact, your ISP and many of the domain registrars are selling this data to domain scalpers who are then able to abuse the 5 day domain tasting period by kiting the domain for indefinite periods of time.

Where do I stand on this?  Well, I won't be using NetSol to search for domains any more and I'm already 80% through with the process of moving from Network Solutions to GoDaddy.  Yes, I do realize that GoDaddy lacks the professional ring of Network Solutions.  But, at the end of the day, it's more about what the company does and how they treat their customers--and, of course, spam filters.  In fact, spam filtering was the biggest challenge for me moving away from Network Solutions.  But I've been pleasantly surprised to find that the spam filtering services offered through GoDaddy are just as strong as those available through Network Solutions.  Oh yeah, the registration process for a domain with GoDaddy seems to be more complicated than needed and full of up-selling gimmicks that you may not appreciate, but then that has become the norm with most registrars.  I've found the administrative interface for managing domains to be intuitive and easy to use.

The problem you need to consider, even if you are a Network Solutions customer, is that you're searches, especially if they are the brainstorming kind where you sit in front of the computer and try every combination of terms you can think of, could be very dangerous.  It's not uncommon for me to search for 40 or 50 different domain names during one of these sessions, and my search process might span days or weeks.  On one level, it may seem safe to you that Network Solutions is buying your domain and parking it for 5 days, but after the 5 day tasting period, the domain is now on the radar of the 100's of domain scalpers who may register the domain and kite it for years.  And if you don't realize that Network Solutions has purchased the domain, you'll never know that in 5 days the domains for which you searched are most likely gone. 

So How Do I Search Safely?

At this point, I would wait for the dust to settle a little before doing domain brainstorming with any type of domain search tool.  Any type of search is tracked by someone.  Using the address bar in your browser is tracked by your ISP.  Performing whois lookups directly using command line is tracked by the companies that manage the whois databases.  And, of course, now we know that searching for domains using the web interface, even at large, established registrars, isn't safe.

So, if you think you've got an idea for a domain for some new service or product at your organization, search for and register the domain at one registrar, and register it immediately.  Hopefully registrars will realize the need for trust with their customers regarding the domain search process and begin to implement measures to regain our trust.